FredVanVleet

Preseason question: Last season must have felt a bit like a nightmare for VanVleet. Just imagine—you are a former undrafted point guard who has made his bones with determined, no-nonsense play, and you can only watch as your über-talented young understudies run one disjointed possession after another. After losing an entire season due to an ACL tear, VanVleet will return to a Rockets team in desperate need of his services, but he’s entering the portion of his career when most small guards experience a significant drop-off in production. 

 

The good news is that Houston doesn’t need VanVleet’s production so much as it needs his organizational aptitude. The bad news is that VanVleet’s drop-off may have already happened years ago, before he even injured his knee; the prior season, 2024-25, was VanVleet’s worst since becoming a full-time starter in 2019. Can VanVleet bounce back, not just from injury but also from his professional nadir? There’s reason for optimism. Unlike during that laborious 2024-25 season, Kevin Durant is in Houston now, and the Rockets’ overall talent level has begun to catch up to the organization’s ambition under head coach Ime Udoka. On the 2026-27 squad, VanVleet’s job description will be narrower, though arguably with even higher stakes: set up Durant, get Amen Thompson the ball in favorable areas, contribute to a potentially elite defense, and lead the Rockets back to the top of the conference.